There has been widely known and practiced a continuous processing system which continuously processes a light-sensitive material in an automatic processor being replenished at a constant rate.
Reduction of waste liquors is urgently needed in recent years for environmental protection, and there has been demanded a realization of stable processing at a replenishing rate as low as possible. Since reduction of the replenishing rate prolongs the retention time of a processing solution in the processor's tank, it causes troubles such as lowering in contrast and fluctuation in sensitivity and thereby hinders the processing from being run stably. Moreover, in replenishers which are supplied to users mostly in the form of concentrated solutions, decomposition and reaction of ingredients in the solutions are liable to proceed, causing fluctuation in photographic properties during continuous processing. And such a fluctuation becomes larger as the replenishing rate becomes smaller. It is useful to supply a solid processing agent to users to have them prepare a processing solution by themselves before use, but it is still inadequate for stable processing.
As a result of studies to solve such problems, the present inventors have found that a replenisher comprising a solid developing composition containing a specific silver-sludge inhibitor scarcely fluctuates in photographic properties such as sensitivity, a .gamma. value and a maximum density during continuous processing.